Adolescents' Sexual Scripts: Schematic Representations of Consensual and Nonconsensual Heterosexual Interactions

Abstract

The characteristic features of adolescents' sexual scripts were explored in 400 tenth and eleventh graders from Berlin, Germany. Participants rated the prototypical elements of three scripts for heterosexual interactions: (1) the prototypical script for the first consensual sexual intercourse with a new partner as pertaining to adolescents in general (general script); (2) the prototypical script for the first consensual sexual intercourse with a new partner as pertaining to themselves personally (individual script); and (3) the script for a nonconsensual sexual intercourse (rape script). Compared with the general script for the age group as a whole, the individual script contained fewer risk elements related to sexual aggression and portrayed more positive consequences of the sexual interaction. Few gender differences were found, and coital experience did not affect sexual scripts. The rape script was found to be close to the “real rape stereotype.” The findings are discussed with respect to the role of sexual scripts as guidelines for behavior, particularly in terms of their significance for the prediction of sexual aggression.

The research reported in this article was supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Kr 972/5-1). The authors thank Anja Berger, Juliane Felber, Ingrid Möller, and Sabine Quandte for their assistance. Special thanks are due to Elisabeth Müller-Heck and to the head teachers of the schools that participated in the study.

Notes

∗Unless otherwise indicated, the features were measured for each of the three scripts. GS=general script, IS=individual script, RS=rape script. The abbreviations in italics and parentheses denote the variable labels in Tables 2 to 6.

¹Response scale: 1=very unlikely to 5=very likely.

^a,b,c Within rows, means with different superscripts differ at p < .01.

∗Scale range: 1 to 5; higher scores = higher probability; see Table 1 for full labels of items and response scales.

^a,b,c Within rows, means with different superscripts differ at p < .001; ∗Scale range: 1 to 5; higher scores = higher probability; see Table 1 for full labels of items and response scales.

^a,b,c Within rows, means with different superscripts differ at p < .001. Scale range: 1 to 5; see Table 1 for full labels of items and response scales.

∗Higher scores = lower risk score, i.e., higher probability that they had met before/longer period of acquaintanceship.

∗∗Higher scores = higher risk score, i.e., higher probability that drugs/alcohol were consumed/ambiguous communication shown.

∗∗∗Higher scores = more intoxicated.

^a,b,c Within rows, means with different superscripts differ at p<.001. Scale range: 1 to 5; see Table 1 for full labels of items and response scales.

∗Higher scores=lower risk score, i.e., higher probability that they had met before/longer period of acquaintanceship.

∗∗Higher scores=higher risk score, i.e., higher probability that drugs/alcohol were consumed/ambiguous communication shown.